Mangalorean Kori Sukka/Chicken Sukka

Dear readers, it must be pretty evident to you by now that we have been smitten by food and culture of Mangalore post our return from the food excursion of this coastal city. You may want to read about our trip here and here and we are trying to relive those moments by making some of the culinary gems that we tasted and learnt during our trip. If coastal food draws your fascination you may want to try out these Mangalorean recipes.

This week our efforts were channeled in trying to make another Mangalorean culinary gem known as Kori Sukka. If the highlight for us on day one of our trip was Goli-Baje, then definitely that spot must go to Kori-Sukka on day 2. Kori-meaning chicken in Tulu and Sukka means a dry preparation which is achieved by adding lot of coconut, which gives this preparation a distinct coastal flavor.

This chicken preparation can be or rather should I say must be relished with Neer Dosa. No other accompaniment or bread recipe would do justice to Kori Sukka as much as Neer Dosa. The combination is just unbeatable.

This preparation involves making of two distinct masalas. To start with we dry roast fresh grated coconut, cloves of garlic and cumin seeds and grind them together. While making this blend, water must not be added as we intend to form a coarse powder from these ingredients. The second masala involves ghee roasting coriander seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorn, fenugreek seeds and red chilies. These ingredients are combined with few cloves of garlic, turmeric powder and a marble sized tamarind ball which gives a mellowed tanginess to the dish. This two blends of Indian spices form the heart and soul of the recipe.

This weekend when you are stuck with the dilemma of what should you cook for your family, give this coastal preparation from Mangalore a try and we are sure you would be in for a pleasant surprise.

Meanwhile grind dry roasted ingredients to a fine powder. Do no use water while grinding the dry roasted ingredients.

Now let's grind ghee roasted ingredients.Add turmeric powder, garlic and tamarind ball.Add some water and grind all these ingredients into a fine paste.Consistency of ghee roasted masala should be very fine.

Add masala paste.Add 1 cup of water.Mix the ingredients.Cover and cook the chicken on medium heat until it gets cooked completely.

Chicken gets cooked in 20 minutes and gravy should be very thick.Add salt to taste.Add grounded dry masala. Stir it in.Cook for 2-3 minutes.Final consistency should be dry.Now turn off the flame and prepare for tempering.

Heat 2 tbsp ghee for tempering.Add sliced onions.Let it cook till it turns light brown in color.Pour the tempering on chicken.Let it stay covered until serving.